I want one without the jiggly thing on top that won't explode. I don't really know anything about them, and looking at them on Amazon is a little overwhelming. I'm more interested in cooking than canning.

we have one with a jiggly thing - no problem at all. it's awesome, and easy to use. all you need to do is either (a) let the whole thing cool, or (b) do a rapid cool-down by putting the whole thing in the sink & running cool water over it. awesome for beans!

Mostly for cooking beans from scratch, but also to steam (it comes with a steamer tray) kale, beets, seitan, potatoes, and to make soups/stews.

I used to have an electric one, Faberware I think?, that was a stand alone appliance. You could set it on a timer, kinda like a slow cooker. It broke after 2-3 years of use. I like the one I have now better. It's easier to use and more versatile. It's just a pot for the stove with a special lid. I've been using it for 5 years or so.

Something to keep in mind, do you have a gas or electric range? Gas is easier to use with a stovetop model. If you have an electric range, you might want an electric pressure cooker appliance.

yes, i have always had the cheapie jiggle-top ones. get one with a safety release valve in the lid. follow the directions about fill volume, keep the rubber parts in good working order and they're great. They don't explode. I have had the top get clogged, worst case scenario, and the safety valve blew out. Scary and noisy as all hell but it worked the way it was supposed to.entire nations of people use these things every day [most people here in BR have one for beans and another big one for meat]. they're ubiquitous.

get one before you get older! I got the Fagor Duo 6 qt also, only a couple of years ago. It's great for beans, and can be used as a stock pot as well. We got a glass lid for occasional cooking without pressure. Pressure cooking saves time and energy/cooking fuel. It's not too complicated.

I started with the Fagor Duo, which was great, but then I switched to an electric/countertop one which is good because all I do is put stuff in and push a button. It isn't the greatest for finishing stuff off like if my beans are extra watery but I'm sure there is a way, i just never figured it out. I'm kind of sold on a countertop one unless you have no where to store it.

_________________You are all a disgrace to vegans. Go f*ck yourselves, especially linanil.

We have gas. I do prefer the idea of having a stovetop cooker, just because I'd like to be able to saute stuff first and then finish off dishes... not sure if that's possible in a countertop cooker? Plus, there's the issue of electric breaking. It's harder to break a big hunk of metal.

You can definitly saute stuff first in the countertop ones. In fact, I highly reccomend one. They are very convenient since they have timers and stuff on them. I am cheap as hell, and I must admit this is something that I feel is worth the price tag. I use mine 3-4 times a week at LEAST.

(The Emeril stuff is actually really really good! I have a set of the pans, and they are comparable to the caphalon ones. Usually I don't buy into the celebrity endorsed stuff, but it was all gifts. Glad I got them!)

Bumping because I believe that every vegan (or bean eater) should have a pressure cooker. Why, why did I wait so long to buy one? As a kid, I was scared of the pressure cooker (old style) and the memories made me steer well clear but now that I have one, I am choked it took so long to overcome my fear. I ended up getting a jiggly style presto 8 Quart (with safety valve and quick release) for really cheap new/used at the Salvation Army...it was too cheap not to buy.

2 1/2 minutes to cook Kidney beans, 9 minutes for Garbanzo beans, etc etc....so much time and energy saved it is worth it just for the legumes! Lots of beans you don't even have to soak and they cook in minutes. They are pretty cheap on Amazon too and I can see myself using it 3-4 times a week for veg/grain/beans. Lots

thanks for bumping this. I've always been interested in them ,but they freak me out. I don't eat beans very often...wonder if it's worth it just for seitan? Making seitan in a pot bugs me for some reason....though better than in the oven.

Bumping because I believe that every vegan (or bean eater) should have a pressure cooker. Why, why did I wait so long to buy one? As a kid, I was scared of the pressure cooker (old style) and the memories made me steer well clear but now that I have one, I am choked it took so long to overcome my fear. I ended up getting a jiggly style presto 8 Quart (with safety valve and quick release) for really cheap new/used at the Salvation Army...it was too cheap not to buy.

2 1/2 minutes to cook Kidney beans, 9 minutes for Garbanzo beans, etc etc....so much time and energy saved it is worth it just for the legumes! Lots of beans you don't even have to soak and they cook in minutes. They are pretty cheap on Amazon too and I can see myself using it 3-4 times a week for veg/grain/beans. Lots

I just got this same exact pressure cooker! Do you not soak the beans at all? I've got some garbanzo beans I want to cook - the instruction guide says to soak them but if I don't have to I won't bother with it

Long: chickpea, soy: if soaked, these take about 15 minutes with natural cool down.

Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure, by Lorna sass is worth the cost of the book for the table of cooking times on beans. It also has a table on cooking times for veg and the recipes are good/mainly vegan.

And yes, I LOVE MY PRESSURE COOKER!!! It is worth it just for beans but I use it for grains, seitan, and soups/stews.

I am lazy so I rarely soak but if you have the chance, you should for the ones that generally require soaking. Also, I throw in a cut up onion and maybe a bay leaf but not salt. You could throw in some baking soda as well.

_________________You are all a disgrace to vegans. Go f*ck yourselves, especially linanil.

Highly recommend a pressure cooker! I use mine nearly every day, for beans, rice, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, etc. I've always used the time and soaking recommendations here: http://missvickie.com/howto/times/timingframe.html with no trouble. I have the Fagor Duo as well and I really love it, super easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and has lots of safety features.

My pressure cooker gives instructions for a "quick soak" for beans -- you bring them to pressure for a few minutes, relieve the pressure, change the water, and then cook the instructed amount. It doesn't give quite as good of a texture as soaked beans, but works well if you forgot to soak. I would think it's applicable to all models?

I am making a batch of the blissful chef pressure cooked seitan and the 6 total cups of liquids does not cover the cheeseclothed seitan log. Am I supposed to add enough liquid to cover the seitan?

This time, I am going to quick release stop it after 15 minutes and flip the seitan and then put back on for another 15 and slow release. I get that I can steam it or I can boil it but this half covered seems to be somehow wrong.

I bought the Cuisinart 6 quart electric pressure cooker after reading many reviews and researching different options (stove top vs electric). I was a little wary about getting a pressure cooker because I had never used one, and the there are stories of pressure cookers exploding. Everything that I have read says that all of todays cookers are much safer, but because I tend to be very cautious I went with the electric model because of the added safety features.I have made lots of different meals in a very short time and I don't have to worry if something is frozen, I can still cook it faster in here than defrosting and worrying about the microwave cooking it. :)